HIV Aids Treatment, Causes, Types, Symptoms, Medication And Facts

Do you know that you can still lead an active lifestyle for quite some time even after you’re infected with HIV / Aids? These are some of the tips that you can follow in order to stay healthy and preventing HIV from spreading.
Educate yourself about HIV and actively decide the activities that will contribute towards your health.

Regularly get immunization and other medications needed for prevention measures from developing serious infections and illnesses. This includes pneumonia and cancer because people who are diagnosed with HIV are known to have weaker immune system.

Be a part of support group who can relate to you and your feelings. This will help you to feel better.

Never use any type of drugs and avoid yourself from drinking too much alcohol.

Find out how to manage food in a proper way so that you’ll be safe from food-borne disease.

Avoid smoking because people who have HIV have higher chance to develop heart attack or getting lung cancer. Even 1 or 2 stick of cigarette will make a major difference between life and death.

Maintain a healthy eating habit and make sure you’re following a balanced diet in order to improve your immune system. You’ll probably lose more weight than what other healthy people are experiencing, so learn to cope with it.

Live actively and make sure you exercise daily to improve your health and life. This can also help you to reduce stress and prevent HIV related fatigue from developing.

Try to get someone who is knowledgeable and skilled to be your caregiver because that can help you to go through tough period. You will need all the emotional, medical and physical care that you can get.

As someone who is healthy and safe from HIV infection, you should consider giving the emotional support that your friend or family member need if they’re diagnosed with HIV. Listen to them and continue to provide emotional support to make them feel better.

Make sure you protect yourself from HIV infection by making sure that you’re using condoms during sex and never share needles with anyone else.

Stay away from unhealthy sexual lifestyle and help your partner to be safe from HIV.

Always ask for your doctor’s guidance whenever you need to know about improving your life and health as a whole. Always remember, HIV infection doesn’t mean the end of the world.

The Progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the term used to describe a retrovirus that infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. HIV is known to be a progressive disease that debilitates the immune system and eventually results in the diagnosis of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). As HIV progresses to AIDS, it could cause the occurrence of at least 20 known related illnesses that result from the compromised health of the immune system.

Initial Stage Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS)

This is the period of rapid HIV replication in the body that occurs two to four weeks after contracting HIV. As HIV levels in the blood increase, it results in acute HIV infection which is characterized by a drop in CD4 cell counts. CD4, alternately called T-4 cells send signals to activate the disease combating immune response that wards off sickness. In a HIV infected person the CD4 count falls to under 200 making the sufferer vulnerable to a host of infections and cancers. Many individuals will experience flu-like symptoms during this infection period. These symptoms can include fever, inflamed lymph nodes, chills, sore throat, rash and muscular aches. The symptoms will probably last a few days to about 4 weeks and then go away. Those that experience these symptoms often liken their suffering to ‘the worst possible flu’ which is what medical experts call Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS). It is also called Primary HIV Infection.

Chronic HIV Infection

During this phase, unlike in the initial ARS stage, HIV reproduces at very low levels, although it is still active. The estimated sufferers of HIV who are unaware of being carriers of the deadly HIV virus are likely to be so in part due to the characteristics at this stage of the disease. A HIV-positive individual can have an undetectable viral load and a healthy CD4 cell count without the use of medication through earlier years of this phase.

Though this phase may last upto even 8 years, one may not have symptoms or opportunistic infections. Towards the middle and end of this stage, the onset of constitutional symptoms of the HIV virus affecting the entire body such as fatigue, weight loss, fevers, night sweats and muscular aches can be seen. Recurring outbreaks of cold sores, mouth sores, genital herpes and diarrhea can also be suspected symptoms of HIV.
In women, abnormal pap tests, persistent yeast infections and cervical cancer can also be symptoms of presence of HIV virus in the body.

Late Stage

An HIV-infected person may not develop the late stage commonly referred to as AIDS until 8 to 10 years after being infected. Normal CD4 counts in a healthy individual range between 500 and 1,600 cells per cubic millimeter of blood. As HIV progresses to AIDS, CD4 count falls to under 200 cells. As AIDS occurs, a collection of opportunistic infections that are usually severe, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis or cancers are seen.

HIV virus has no known cure. But with early treatment and strict adherence to medication regimen, many individuals continue to live active lives for several healthy years.

It is important to know what activities will spread the HIV virus and increases the risk of infected by this virus.
HIV is commonly transmitted if unprotected sex occurs with an HIV positive individual. That is the reason why it is important to use condoms when you’re having sex with someone you know recently. Avoid having multiple sex partners as it will increase your chance of contracting this deadly virus as well.

Sexual activities between two men are another reason to get HIV infection.
You will still probably get HIV infection if your partner is considered to have high risks of getting HIV.
Are you experiencing sexually transmitted disease recently? You should check up because that is another sign of high risk sexual activity.

Sharing needles with someone who has HIV for drug injection purpose is another reason why a healthy individual can get HIV.

Infants born by a HIV infected mother is probably infected as well.
The early and end phase of HIV infection is the time when the virus will spread easily. At this phase, the individual will experience flu-like symptoms.

There is very low to no risk of getting HIV infection due to blood transfusion and organ transplant in United States as everything is properly screened and is ensure to be safe before they’re approved.

What is HIV?
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus responsible causing Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The HIV virus infects cells of the immune system leading to their destruction or impaired function. Since the immune system that fights off various infections is compromised, the infected person is highly susceptible to infections and cancers.

HIV and AIDS
The HIV virus in its most advanced stage is called the AIDS. The progression from HIV virus to AIDS is known to have a median time between 10 and 15 years. An AIDS victim may suffer and succumb to a combination of any of the 20 identified AIDS-related illnesses and cancers. Inspite of serious efforts by the medical and research fraternity, AIDS remains a fatal disease with no known cure. Today, medical treatment for AIDS attempts to give sufferers prolonged life and mitigate physical and emotional suffering related to the illness. However, HIV is a preventable disease.

How Is HIV Transmitted?
HIV is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse, both anal and vaginal, in many cases. Other common modes of HIV transmission in humans is through transfusion of contaminated blood and sharing of contaminated needles and equipment to inject drugs. An HIV-infected mother can pass this deadly virus to her infant through pregnancy, delivery and breast feeding. Healthcare professionals who have work related exposure to HIV and AIDS virus can also contract them in health care settings.

How many people are living with HIV?
The U.S. Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) operates the most comprehensive HIV/AIDS surveillance system in the country through its centers. Data from USCDC shows that an estimated 56,300 Americans are newly infected with HIV each year.
• Currently, there are an estimated 1.2 million Americans who are living with HIV/AIDS.
• About 21% of HIV-positive people are unaware that they are infected

According to estimates by WHO and UNAIDS, 33.4 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2008. Two thirds of HIV infections are in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, HIV/AIDS is considered a global epidemic.
Early Stage Symptoms of HIV

Though many people who are HIV-positive do not feel symptoms, they begin to feel sick as their illness advances into AIDS. At this stage, many sufferers experience acute flu-like illness, called acute retroviral syndrome (ARS). Symptoms can include fever, chills, night sweats, muscular aches, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat and ulcers in the mouth.

How Is AIDS Diagnosed?
Most of the time, samples of blood or fluid are used to conduct HIV tests. In the immune system are cells called T-Cells or CD4 cells that send signals to activate the disease combating immune response. In a HIV infected person the CD4 count falls to under 200.

Reducing your Risk to HIV/AIDS
Avoiding unprotected sex, using latex condoms for sexual activity, avoiding multiple sexual partners minimizes your risk. Using single-use, disposable needles and other injection equipment at clinics and hospitals, acupuncture, body piercing and drug administration is another necessary precaution to avoid contracting this deadly disease. Since breast milk in a HIV-positive mother can infect her child, early treatment and medication has to start before birth of the baby.
Though even with treatment HIV often progresses into AIDS, with treatment and proper medication many people live several healthy years.